by LaRae Mims
When I was doing my student teaching, I remember a day when I was doing a listening exercise with one of my second-grade classes. While we sat in a circle listening to an orchestral piece, I asked my students what different types of instruments they could hear. One girl said “clarinet,” another said “violin,” and one enthusiastically shouted, “oboe!”
This prompted the boy strategically seated next to me (teachers—IYKYK) to scoff and confidently say, “Everyone has an oboe unless you don’t have arms.”
I stifled my laugh and gently corrected him, explaining that an oboe is an instrument and an elbow is what’s on your arm, and we moved on. But three days later, when I saw the same class, every single student was calling elbows “obo-es,” and the boy who coined this new trend could not have been happier. I finished my student teaching in December and left my classes, but when I checked in with them at the end of the school year, elbows were still oboes, and at that point, I couldn’t have been happier.
This cute, funny story is an excellent example of how quickly language can change. Inside jokes turn into outside jokes, and then they make their way to platforms like TikTok, where suddenly, people are calling a pandemic a “panini.” While a lot of this new internet speak is innocent and hilarious, some of the new words, phrases, and even spellings we see online are specifically created to bypass content restrictions.
This isn’t a new challenge. Internet language has always been a bit coded ever since we were asking “A/S/L?” in AIM chatrooms. But with so much content now available to children, parents may not always understand what their kids are talking about or viewing if we’re not familiar with the language they’re using. This can lead to children engaging with online content in ways we’d prefer they didn’t. In terms of circumventing content restrictions, it’s often to freely talk about sex, drugs, eating disorders, violence, or bullying.
How Content Restrictions Have Changed Language on the Internet
Many people, especially young people, use coded and hidden language to get past content restrictions on various platforms. This is done in three main ways: cleverly coded language, visual symbols, and ever-evolving internet slang. Each method offers its own creative workaround to speak freely while avoiding the internet’s strict content rules.
Coded Language
Coded language is a powerful tool for bypassing content restrictions. This can range from simple letter substitutions, like replacing an “s” with a “z” or an “i” with a “1,” to more complex codes and phrases that mean one thing literally but have an entirely different meaning in certain communities. These tweaks can help a word evade censorship tools, allowing users to discuss sensitive topics freely.
Visual Symbols
Visual symbols take many forms, including memes, emojis, and other images that convey messages without using explicit text. An image can speak a thousand words, and when those words are at risk of being censored, images offer a clever workaround. Plus, images are harder for automated systems to analyze and censor, making them a go-to for communicating sensitive ideas.
Evolution of Internet Slang
The evolution of internet slang is another way users dodge content restrictions. As platforms become stricter about certain words or phrases, users adapt by creating new terms that still get the point across. This constant evolution makes it harder for algorithms to keep up, as users continually stay one step ahead. It’s like a game of cat and mouse, with users trying to find clever new ways to express themselves.
Language is always evolving—just in 2024, Merriam-Webster added over 200 new words! And while this creative and adaptive nature of language isn’t confined to the internet, it is now being used to cleverly sidestep content restrictions. Through coded language, visual symbols, and the evolution of slang, users continue to communicate and express themselves, even in the face of tighter censorship. This, of course, creates uncertainty for parents who may not know what content their children are engaging with online.
At its core, the Internet is a place for free expression. Its users are constantly finding creative ways to make sure their voices are heard, for better or worse, which preserves the essence of the internet as a space for unfiltered, uncensored ideas. For parents, understanding this new language and engaging in open conversations with our children about what they’re seeing and sharing online can help keep them safe.
We’ve compiled a list of common words, phrases, and emojis used to navigate around content restrictions and coded language so you can stay informed and help protect your kids online. Click here to learn more.
